Enhancing our internal digital communications will help ensure everyone at Oxford gets timely, relevant and accurate news and information from the University - allowing them to find, share and trust the information they need to study and work, in support of our mission of teaching and research.
OxIntranet
We are working to deliver a single intranet for Oxford, so that every individual gets a consolidated view of all the news and content relevant to them, all in one place.
OxIntranet will offer a high-quality user experience for both audiences and content creators, with a simplified publishing process and improved usability.
Based on SharePoint technology, it will be underpinned by accurate and up-to-date people data, so that information can be shared with audiences based on the part of the University they are in, for example, a college or a department. These changes will improve the visibility and impact of internal communications.
In 2024, we partnered with a software provider called AppSpace to test its intranet technology with a small number of departments and colleges. However, we took a decision in September 2024 not to pursue this solution because it did not meet Oxford's needs.
The learnings from the proof of concept gave us greater clarity on the platform we need. As a result, we are now moving forward with an enhanced SharePoint Online intranet.
Built in a dedicated part of the University’s existing SharePoint platform, OxIntranet will include:
- Staff and student hubs: content that is relevant to all staff and students, which currently appears on multiple websites and intranets
- Local unit homes: Colleges, divisions and departments will have a place to share their internal content - both for their own audiences and for colleagues in the wider institution
- News and events: the latest information about what is happening across different parts of the collegiate University
Content on OxIntranet will benefit from:
- A unified look, feel and navigation: staff and students will be able to access content in a way that works for them, with a consistent visual identity and overarching navigation across the site
- Enhanced governance and support: teams using OxIntranet will have the opportunity to improve the management of their content through a new governance approach and an improved support offering
- Additional functionality: we have partnered with WM Reply to provide Accelerator 365, which are a new set of tools and webparts that support content management and user experience within SharePoint
Migration approach
The Intranet team is working closely with the Migration Project and our partners WM Reply to develop a managed approach to migrating content to the new intranet. This will involve:
- A pilot involving Divisions, Departments and UAS Services
- Migration of internal content from current Mosaic sites
- Moving existing SharePoint intranets to OxIntranet
More information about this migration will follow in the near future.
Wider communications enhancements
In the future, we will also explore enhancing our email tools, as well as exploring the opportunities provided by enterprise social networking and artificial intelligence tools.
Project Governance
The project is overseen by the Intranet and Internal Communications Project Board under the governance for the Transforming Oxford's Digital Communications Programme. Further information is provided on our programme page.
Further information
If you have any further questions, please check our Frequently Asked Questions or, if you are unable to find what you need there, please email us at transformingdigitalcommsprogramme@it.ox.ac.uk.
